U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,878 ("the '878 patent") shows a hanger for underwear which has a transversely extending support member with a hook extending upwardly of the support member for engaging a support rail to suspend the support member. A plurality of garment interior support elements depend downwardly of the support member arcuately to the vertical and have hook formations on ends thereof to entrap an undergarment thereabove. At ends of the support member, the hanger includes downwardly and outwardly extending single garment support elements, i.e., exterior garment support elements, with projections extending outwardly of the exterior garment support elements. A notch or detent is formed in the support member above each of the exterior support elements. Such hanger exterior garment support elements are shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 202,240.
The hanger of the '878 patent has facility for the hanging of underwear (briefs) of various waistband sizes. Underwear is hung by applying one end of its waistband to an interior garment support element above the hooked end thereof, drawing the waistband about one of the exterior garment support elements and then applying the other end of the waistband about the other of the exterior garment support elements and then applying the other end of the waistband to another of the interior support elements. Different interior garment support elements are used for differently-sized underwear.
South Africa Patent Application No. 85/7516, which is noted in the '878 patent as the first-filed application counterpart to the application for the '878 patent, describes a similar hanger structure wherein, however, the interior garment support elements depend straightwise from the support member, i.e., the elements are not arcuate.
By way of further background to the subject invention, note is taken of a commercially-known hanger for briefs bearing the legend "PLASTI-FORM-1-800-HANGER-4". This hanger also has garment support elements which extend downwardly and straightwise from the hanger support member, i. e., not arcuately to the vertical. Contrary to the hangers of the '878 patent and the above-noted South African patent application, each of which has hook formations at the lower ends of the garment support elements, the commercially-known hanger has a spring-like member extending continuously with the ends of the garment support elements vertically upwardly toward the support member.
Common to above-discussed hangers is to provide the support member in a downwardly arcuate configuration such that the support member is not seen when the hangers support underwear.